Fire Services Review Special Committee - Minutes - 07/09/2025

FIFTEEN ROPE FERRY ROATI
WATHREORDD, CP 06385. 2845.
2
Fire Services Review Special Committee Minutes—Special Meeting July 9, 2025
Members Present: Robert Tuneski (BoF); Susan Driscoll (RTM); Tim Condon (RTM Public Protection & Safety Comm.);
Matthew Keatley (RTM) by phone; Richard Muckle (BoS); Ronnie Williams (WFD); Chris Haley (Director, Fire Services);
Steven Sinagra (Director, Emergency Management)
Members Absent: Todd Patton (Chief, Goshen Fire Co.); Mark Greczkowski (WAS Director of Operations)
1. Call to order: Chair Tuneski called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. Public comment: None.
3. Previous Minutes: Motion by Muckle, second by Condon, to approve the June 25, 2025, minutes as presented.
Voice Vote: Unanimous.
4. Consideration of FSRSC’s charge from the RTM (6/7/21):
a. Review/discuss first draft of full report: Chair Tuneski distributed hard copies of the revised draft (#2, attached) and
comments spreadsheet he had emailed to members that morning. He explained that he had made some changes based
on others’ recommendations and that they were benign, best management practices and don’t come across as dictates
to the new director. He then opened the floor for comments, questions, suggestions.
Condon noted that since the 2011 switch to a combined department with a combined budget, we lost the inside
people from each company with detailed lists of capital projects and since then we've been rapidly falling behind in
regular maintenance and major repairs. Projects have been delayed for years before making it to the capital plan, only to
keep getting pushed out to future years. He suggested the report recommend a mechanism, such as an overall building
committee, to get organized and back on track so we don’t have four more emergency-status new stations. Haley and
Tuneski mentioned that there are difficulties and restrictions on the town repairing non-owned buildings. Driscoll noted
that the legal agreements in place since the 1970s mandate that the town maintain the stations in exchange for
volunteers’ services and beyond that, the town is liable for the safety of the citizens who utilize the stations—whether
career or volunteer firefighters or others using meeting spaces—as well as the several million dollars’ worth of town-
owned apparatus and equipment stored there. Haley suggested the FSRSC could continue to exist and replace the Board
of Fire Commissioners to manage and promote capital projects. He and Tuneski thought the report should recommend
hiring an outside consultant/engineering firm to do a thorough review of the remaining stations and prioritize needs.
Brief comments followed on the detailed volunteer incentive program participation that had been requested of former
Director Howley two years ago. Haley said he had found the material, but had not yet been able to parse the details. He
did explain that while the VIP has a higher bar for volunteers to qualify for payments, it seems that the present working
definition of “active volunteer” is someone who responds to one call a year. He added that “active” means something
much different to the average person, and plans a policy change to redefine “active” to give a more realistic impression
of practical support, as well as propose changes to the VIP to add more non-response qualifying opportunities, such as
filling a shift at one of the understaffed stations.

FSRSC Minutes: July 9, 2025 page 2 of 2
Condon felt the list of recommendations needed to be more specific and suggested the committee add a
recommendation that the agreements with the volunteer companies be updated to reflect the realities of our current
system and finances. He noted that while the 2" draft included some of Haley’s “vision” of potential solutions to the
serious financial and logistics issues in the town’s fleet management plan, he would like to add some specific
recommendations that reflected the committee’s lengthy and detailed discussion at the previous meeting. Haley noted
that he had spoken to Public Works and learned that they did not have the capacity to handle multi-day repairs of huge
fire apparatus, which had been a possible solution to one fleet issue. Muckle felt strongly that the report needed to be
issued as soon as possible and that further review was unnecessary.
b. Discuss/vote on issuing report to RTM: Chair thanked the committee for their input and explained that he would make
some changes to this draft and would like to send it to the RTM for consideration at their August meeting.
Motion by Muckle, second by Keatley, to authorize the Chair to include new copy as he saw fit and forward to RTM.
Voice vote: Yes 3 (Muckle, Tuneski, Keatley No 2 (Condon, Driscoll) Motion passed.
Driscoll reminded the Chair that the report, which was already posted on other committee's website, should be
labelled “Draft” until it is accepted/approved by RTM.
5. Next meeting: None scheduled, pending RTM action on submitted draft final report.
6. Adjournment: Motion by Muckle; second by Condon, to adjourn at 7:28 p.m. Voice vote: Unanimous.
Submitted by
Susan Driscoll, FSRSC Secretary
encl: FSRSC Full Report Draft #2
FSRSC Report Comments

Comment
How
Adjudicated
hyb
should
be
replaced
with
combination
throughout
the
entire
Incorporated
Fire
Commission
was
established
on
4/5/1971
and
formally
Incorporated
2010.
corp
responding
to
one
incident
constitute
being
active?
The
The
information
provided
in
the
report
came
from
the
Director
.
-_
me
.
of
Fire
Services,
entitled
“Active
Volunteers”.
Working
to
stipend
program
requires
a
minimum
of
50
incidents
(responding
an
.
.
:
‘
ae
;
ner
verify
if
there
was
a
misnterpretation
or
misrpresentation
of
emergencie
trainings,
and
meetings).
So,
shouldn't
50
incidents
be
,
:
‘
;
a
'
a
i
;
the
information.
Will
reconcile
the
Department's
definition
of
t
minimum
number
to
be
listed
as
active?
active
say
that
career
and
volunteer
firefighters
are
trained
to
the
ls
there
a
specific
clarification
that
can
be
recommended
to
thi
isn’t
true.
clarify?
Recommend
that
the
clarification
be
included.
responses
graph
should
indicate
that
the
noted
decline
in
fro
2019-2022
was
during
the
covib-1
9
epidemic,
where
Recomment
that
we
incorporate
a
note
that
indicates
this
were
altered
to
minimize
the
responder's
exposure
and
risk
of
At
my
request,
the
most
up
to
date
information
was
provided
F
stated
that
she
provided
average
response
times
for
and
has
been
summarized
in
graphs
and
will
be
added
to
the
fr
the
years
2018
through
February
of
2025,
yet
the
report
report.
This
was
noted
at
the
last
meeting
as
part
of
t
year
2022.
introductory
comments.
But
was
not
available
at
the
time
the
second
part
of
the
report
was
provided
for
comment
mentions
a
risk
assessment
to
determine
needs.
When
was
the
|Not
sure
when
the
last
one
was
performed.
The
mention
is
a
fire
department
risk
assessment
was
performed?
They
intended
to
highlight
the
process,
periodicity
can
be
up
to
the
reviewed
annually.
Director
of
Fire
services
w
the
staffing
plan
shows
that
the
plan
is
to
hire
3
full-time
year
through
the
year
2030,
except
for
the
years
2026-2027.|The
years
2026-2027,
reflect
an
intentional
review
period,
shows
that
the
running
total
would
be
18
full-time
firefighters,
where
no
hiring
is
intended.
Will
verify
the
staffing
numbers
actu
number
would
be
30.
This
will
bring
the
town
to
3
shifts

Comment
How
Adjudicated
staffing
plans,
the
number
of
fire
apparatus
we
have
should
c
The
apparatus
that
we
currently
have
isn’t
listed
in
the
shou
show
that
we
have
7
fire
engines,
2
Ladder
trucks,
1
master
stream,
1
Rescue
truck,
6
pick-up
trucks,
3
brush
trucks,
2
UTV,
as
well
as
3
vehicles
attached
to
the
Fire
Marshal's
large
amount
of
apparatus
should
be
looked
at
to
see
if
the
apparatus
that
we
have
is
necessary.
Is
it
cost-efficient
to
keep
this
amount
of
apparatus?
Especially
considering
that
the
Department
doesn’t
have
enough
people
to
fill
these
The
number
of
apparatuses
in
town
should
be
reduced
and
relocated
for
a
more
sufficient
response.
Concur
with
the
comment
and
a
version
of
it
is
in
the
report
under
Fleet
Management.

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Comment
How
Adjudicated
o
staffing
should
undergo
periodic
review;
if
that’s
the
case,
A
perioide
review
is
recommended
in
the
report.
section
that
states
that
the
training
barrier
should
be
lowered
to
The
barrier
to
training
was
associated
with
access
and
cost,
participation.
No
matter
what
the
individual's
role
is
within
the
‘
:
lowering
the
training
barrier,
towards
the
end,
there
is
a
section
The
point
of
this
is
to
be
somewhat
philosop
ical
and
Is
:
intended
to
promote
discussion
on
the
expansion
or
growht
should
expand
the
roles
for
people
who
don’t
want
to
do
full
‘
,
on
However,
the
examples
listed
are
actually
tasks
that
would
fall
.
:
potential
folls
for
volunteer
support
of
Fire
Servces.
How
the
works
and
a
CERT
team.
Not
the
fire
department.
+
.
ar
Towns
assigns
work
is
TBD
subject
to
negotiation,
recommendation
is
that
we
change
the
organization's
name
to
This
is
a
suggestion
that
aligns
with
the
data
and
general
Services
or
a
First
Responder
Department.
We
should
not
be
[evolution
of
fire
services
locally
and
nationally.
It
is
a
name
of
an
organization
because
the
number
of
structural
philosophical
point
which
promotes
growth
of
the
declined.
Plus,
this
would
require
opening
the
charter,
which
organization
to
better
serve
the
emerging
needs
of
the
Town.
fo
anything
in
the
charter
to
be
addressed.
And
it
may
or
may
not
require
charter
change.
monstrate success through statistics, not objective, Concur. The change has been made.
. earn This comment has been incorporated.
pically, this discretion is with the Director of Fire Services or
e recommendation of this committee to promote the captains
ate 98 instead of Interstate 95. Corrected
21 Corrected

Comment
How
Adjudicated
committee
toured
all
of
the
fire
stations
and
seen
their
current
o
the
fire
stations
may
require
more
than
routine
|
can
confirm
that
at
least
one
has.
Concur
with
the
For
example,
the
upper
bay
floor
at
Jordan,
the
bathrooms
at|observation.
Believe
the
position
of
the
report
is
to
the
ventilation
system
at
Jordan.
Not
to
mention
capital
standardize
the
process
and
insure
that
each
station
is
projects,
which
are
in
queue,
these
projects
would
be
reviewed
and
evaluated
independently.
more
than
routine
maintenance.
mu
evolve
into
a
modern
emergency
services
and
first
The
term
Emergency
Services
is
a
rhetorical
one,
intended
to
organization.
This
should
be
removed;
it
isn’t
an
industry-
reflect
that
the
role
of
Fire
Services
is
expanding
and
/
or
term,
nor
is
it
in
the
town
charter.
Therefore,
the
Waterford
Fire
|evioving.
The
current
Director
and
the
Town
can
decide
if
shouldn't
be
referred
to
as
such.
A
more
acceptable
term
they
concur
with
evolving
the
service
and
renaming.
If
a
Waterford
Fire
and
Rescue,
but
this
would
still
require
a
change
[charter
change
is
required,
then
the
Town
would
be
on
the
charter.
nook
to
change
it.
.
.
The
context
of
the
determinatin
is
associated
with
ability
to
it
creates
an
ideal
location
for
a
future
command
center
for
deploy
throughout
Waterford,
e.g.
access
to
the
major
growing
team
of
career
firefighters.
However,
this
is
not
an
:
aan
.
ee
,
.
arteries,
i.e.
Route
1
(State
road
and
be
maintained
This
building
is
going
to
be
on
a
Western
outskirt
of
town;
an
‘
:
:
during
environmental
emergencies),
Cross
Road,
and
Rt.
95,
would
be
more
in
the
center
of
town
Parner
thus
minimizing
time
to
all
areas
of
Town
Waterford's
transition
toward
a
combination
fire
services
model,
|
would
argue
that
it
is
an
observtaion
based
upon
trends
in
careeer
firefighters
and
volunteer
support,
consistent
with
national
'
;
i
:
,
,
staffing
and
the
level
of
volunteer
support,
but
|
also
factual
and
Waterford’s
evolving
needs.
This
shouldn’t
be
in
the
age
:
r
we
a
from
a
definition
perspective.
state-of-the-art
station
boost
the
recruitment
and
retention
of
and
volunteer
firefighters.
Again,
this
is
an
opinion
and
It
was
provided
as
information
from
the
previous
Director
of
the
report.
If
there
is
a
study
to
support
this
information,
Fire
Services
be
attached
to
the
report
to
indicate
so.
construction
would
significantly
escalate
costs,
potentially
$15—20
million
within
7-10
years
for
new
construction
and
interim
is
the
estimated
cost
for
7-10
years
out,
why
isn’t
the
current
|The
current
cost
to
refurbish
the
Oswegatchie
Fire
Station
this
draft?
!f
the
town
is
trying
to
be
fiscally
responsible
for
the
shouldn’t
you
also
be
transparent
about
the
cost
and
where
their
has
been
included
in
the
report.

Comment
How
Adjudicated
availability
is
used
in
the
determination
of
staffing
decisions.
So,
availability
is
a
factor
in
staffing,
then
our
current
reporting
shou
be
used
to
generate
reports
on
the
volunteer
response
to
{Concur
with
this,
and
believe
that
is
the
intention
in
referring
volunteer
availability
is
a
factor,
then
volunteer
responses
to
data
driven
decisions
regularly
reviewed.
And
this
should
be
listed
under
data-driven
cal
for
the
creation
of
internships
and
a
junior
firefighter
They
are
but
one
of
the
points
of
the
report
is
to
emphasis
These
are
both
programs
that
already
exist.
these
types
of
programs
to
encourage
volunteerism
should
also
include
the
volunteer
incentive
program.
What
it
is,
This
comment
was
nt
included
as
it
didn’t
seem
rleavent
to
«
the
focus
and
objective
of
the
report.
It
could
be
included
i
ina
volunteers
are
offered,
and
how
much
they
get
from
it.
future
version
of
this
or
a
similar
report.
Waterford
has
recognized
that
a
minimum
of
3
firefighters
crew.
The
NIST
study
on
fireground
residential
experiments
|The
NIST
report
was
provided
to
the
committee
and
is
part
of
numerous
examples
of
how
having
a
3
person
crew
is
more
the
meeting
minutes.
It
is
in
the
publich
domain
for
interested
a
2
person
crew.
This
should
be
cited
in
the
report
as
well
study.
A
recommendation
in
the
report
should
be
that
the
3
s
each
be
staffed
with
a
minimum
of
3
firefighters.
parties
to
review.
The
staffing
recommendations
ciied
in
this
report
originate
from
the
previous
Director
of
Fire
Services.

Full Report Draft #2 (Tuneski) 7/9/25 9:31am
1.0 Executive Summary
Firefighting has occurred in Waterford from the earliest days of its villages. as more structures
were built which needed to be protected from the destructive damage caused by. intermittent
fire events. This largely community-based private firefighting effort took.on amore. organized.
form about a hundred years ago when four private firefighting companies all started'by
volunteers were established in the 1920’s and the fifth was created in the early 1940s. The
Town had financially supported these efforts in various ways for decades, which support was
codified in a formal agreement with the Companies in 1978. The Town established a Fire
Commission under state statute ordinance and charter provisions to oversee the Town’s
financial participation of this private community driven firefighting model. As the costs
associated with firefighting in Waterford grew, for large, specialized fire trucks, equipment,
gear and training, the Town contributed millions to Waterford’s private fire service operation.
In the early 2000s more and more discussion occurred about a larger Town role in the
management of community fire services, culminating in a 2010 change in Waterford’s charter
moving from the management of fire service by the Fire Commission to a Town Fire
Department supervised by a Fire Administrator. Serving as a department head in Town
government, the Fire Administrator works under the supervision of the First Selectman as chief
executive. A Paid Fireman Ordinance was adopted at the same time in recognition of an
emerging need to have Town staff supplement the efforts of volunteers in the reliable provision
of fire services across Waterford. Over the last fifteen years the Town has administered this
emergent “combination” model of both paid and volunteer efforts with new issues arising
constantly regarding the health and safety of firefighters, technological development and
effective resource deployment strategies.
The Fire Services Review Committee was charged with studying this historic evolution of fire
services in Waterford from a largely private endeavor to an increasing Town managed, staffed
and funded effort. The Committee has reviewed extensive documentation provided by Town
staff (primarily the previous Director of Fire Services), engaged in vigorous discussion over 25
meetings within the Committee and with members of the Committee. The Committee has
identified numerous issues the Town will need to address as Waterford’s fire service continues
to evolve.
The Committee’s objective is for the deliberative effort described above to be reflected in this
report to the RTM and through them to the community so Waterford’s decision-makers can
make better informed decisions going forward about the Waterford’s fire service, which
performs a critical government function by protecting lives and the Towns 4.4 billion dollars’
worth of taxable property.

The precise path of the continuing evolution of Waterford’s fire service will be largely driven by
collaborative decisions made each year in the budget process by the Board of Selectmen, Board
of Finance and RTM as informed by inout and recommendations from the Fire Administrator
and First Selectman regarding both annual operations and current as well as projected capital
requirements,
2. Introduction
2.1 At the June 7, 2021, meeting, under new business initiated by the Chair of the Public
Protection and Safety Standing Committee, the RTM voted to create a special committee, “Fire
Services Review Special Committee”. The charter of the new committee was “to review issues
including performance, policies, and staffing, and present their findings / recommendations of
any changes needed to enhance public safety, creating a steering document and strategic plan”.
Per the approved motion, the committee shall consist of five full voting members as follows:
2 RTM Members {appointed by the RTM)
1 Public Protection and Safety Committee Member (appointed by the Public
Protection and Safety Committee
1 Board of Finance Member (appointed by the Board of Finance}
1 Board of Selectmen Member (appointed by the Board of Selectmen)
And five advisory non/ voting members as follows:
Fire Services Director
Emergency Services Director
Waterford Ambulance Manager
One Volunteer Fire Chief (appointed by consensus of the 5 Waterford Fire Companies or
the 5 chiefs}
One Full Time Career Fire Fighter (appointed by the consensus of the Waterford Full-
time Firefighters)
It is noteworthy to highlight that there was a recent compilation of fire services studies entitled
“Fire Service Study, 2018” which is a collection of Fire Services related information dating back
to 1995 including Task Force 95 Study, and Fire Service Study, 2001. This compendium is a very
valuable and relevant historical reference, covering substantial portions of Waterford’s rich and
diverse Fire Services history.

The balance of information surveyed is listed in the bibliography.
The process then, that the committee followed in generating this report and the findings /
recommendations herein was one of deliberate discussion and debate on the topics of interest,
as well as solicitatian and retention of both quantitative and qualitative information as primarily
provided by the Director of Fire Services, other advisory members, and the public as captured in
meeting minutes. All information used by this committee (including various revisions based
upon year / time) and used in this report has been originally presented to the committee. The
source materials used to create this report are provided on the Waterford Town website under
the Fire Services Special Review Committee title.
In January of 2023, an interim Report was prepared and approved in a 3-0-1 vote and delivered
to the RTM.
The report recommended that the Oswegatchie Fire Station, described as being in “extensively
deteriorated condition”, be demolished and that a new Fire Station be built to replace it. The
findings of the interim report were presented at the February 3, 2023, RTM Meeting by the
chairman, at which time, partly because of the findings, the RTM unanimously voted to create
the Oswegatchie Fire Station Building Committee.
3.0 Fire Services History
Prior to the incorporation of the private fire stations which occurred between 1920-1940
according to An Jifustrated History of Waterford Connecticut, a bucket brigade was organized to
put out the Baptist minister’s neighbors’ house fire, and housewives used brooms to put out
stubborn brush fires... Since the early 1900s the five private fire stations listed in Table 1 have
served the Town of Waterford. Along the way, changes were made in how fire services were
managed and administrated to grow with community changes.
in 2010, the Waterford Fire Department was created and the historic management structure for
fire services in Town, the Fire Commission was disbanded, in accordance with a Town charter
revision. The new department was created via the Code of Ordinances (Chapter 2.36) and
charged the RTM with appointing one person from each fire district to serve on a board of five
commissioners. The commission had the authority to elect officers, establish rules of procedure,
set meeting frequency; and possessed authority as vested by State Statute.
The board oversaw the funding of fire services. It worked with each fire station in determining
equipment and operation needs, although it did not have direct control over the day-to-day
operation of the individual fire districts, The board set policies for fire and rescue services and
coordinated the provision of those throughout the Town.

The board had oversight of the over the Fire Marshalls office and the Town Communications
Center.
The Town is divided into 5 fire districts, each with its own fire department and fire station. Each
fire department is incorporated as a non-profit corporation under the General Statutes of the
State of Connecticut. Each fire department has an individually signed legal agreement with the
Town stipulating that they wil! provide fire services in exchange for an annual funding
apprapriation from the Tawn. Each fire department was required to prepare and submit a
budget to the Board of Fire Commissioners, who then would tabulate it with input from the
other fire departments, the Fire Marshalis Office, and the Emergency Communications Center,
and submit this to the Board of Finance for review. Each fire department is independently
managed and operated, in accordance with bylaws established by each, and has its own
hierarchy of officers. Each department provided volunteer fire-fighting activities to the Town,
and there were provisions made to provide mutual aid among companies.
In essence, with funding provided by the Town, the Board of Fire Commissioners managed Fire
Services for Waterford. The organization was largely distributed with multiple levels of
volunteer oversight, few if any checks and balances, and no direct Town accountability. But it
was a step towards a more centralized organization to better address Waterford needs.
The Board of Fire Commissioners was replaced in 2010 by Charter revision by a more centralized
management structure, featuring a Director of Fire Services. This position eliminated the second
tier of management over the private fire departments, instead creating a direct line of reporting
and accountability from the individual fire departments to a professional Town administrator.
This change in organization established accountability for the efforts of the fire companies as
well as the full and part-time paid fire fighters by the Director and ultimately the First Selectman
of the Town, as Chief Executive. It also centralized the budget creation and allocation process,
The current Director of Fire Services is responsible for all fire service-related functions including:
e Policy development and management
« Equipment, procurement and maintenance
® = Hiring of paid firefighters
¢ Training of personnel and maintenance of standards
¢ Maintenance of the firefighting infrastructure
© Staffing
e Volunteer recruitment and retention
e Emergency Communications
e Fire Marshalls Office
* Budget development and long-range planning
e Fleet Management

In addition to creating a leaner more accountable fire services organization, it also consolidated
data collection and management. It formalized and centralized record retention. This
information, including examples like response type and frequency, volunteer participation,
training, expenditures, fleet maintenance, capital planning, equipment inventories, etc. were
collected and tabulated for management review and use as opposed to being mined
periodically from the sourced department or the Commission. The formal callectian and
tracking of these streams of data contributed to a greater ability to evaluate current fire services
activity overall performance and forecast future needs. This evolution in fire services
management structure was the single most impactful step taken by the Town in recent history
regarding Fire Services. It was essential to unify policy and practice. This change also
encouraged the use of data-driven decisions, supplanting previous decision making that
depended on the Board of Fire Commissioners’ consensus for recommendations.
Along with this change came vertical organization and consistency in policies and practices.
As a result of the Community’s decision through revising the Charter to move to a different
management structure, Fire services today is more organized and in a better position to deliver
firefighting services to the Waterford taxpayer in a safer and more cost-effective manner.
Fire protection in the Town of Waterford was originally provided by volunteers, working out of
the five stations. At one time there were hundreds of registered volunteers. The town was flush
with people looking to give back and to provide public service. The stations thrived based upon
local fund raising and were in essence self-supporting.
Volunteers were the backbone of Fire Services until 1961, when the first part time firefighter
was hired by the Town of Waterford. Over time and for a variety of reasons, the ranks of
volunteers have shrunk. The reasons are mainly economic, with fewer people able to take time
off from work to provide service. The drop in volunteers has resulted in the need to hire paid
fire fighters as replacements to provide acceptable levels of fire service to the Town. Currently
there is an active list of 30 volunteers, as characterized by responding to at least one incident
annually. Some fire departments have a more robust level of volunteer support while others are
nearly at risk of becoming non-functional due to their limited volunteer participation.
in general, the volunteer fire fighting corps of the past has dramatically declined, and the future
is pointing to the need for more paid firefighters.
The Town of Waterford now functions as a “combination” fire service composed of both paid
and volunteer firefighters. Due to similar economic issues nationally, this is becoming the
normal situation for many municipal fire services. What cannot be achieved historically with
volunteers is being augmented by paid fire fighters.

Combination fire services have consequences, some good and some not so good. Among the
upside consequence is that coverage of certain parts of Town can be provided part or full time
by paid fire fighters. They can also be deployed to various stations as need dictates. They are
independent of a specific fire station. Among the downsides is that the additional coverage
comes with increases in operational! costs and unfortunately has resulted in occasional chafing
between the paid and unpaid ranks, despite ail firefighters being trained to the exact same
standards. The failure to sometimes get along is a potential distraction and if unaddressed a
possible detriment to Waterford’s fire services.
At the other end of the fire services spectrum, there are some towns, for example New London,
which have fire services composed entirely of paid fire fighters. Moving to an all-paid firefighter
service will come with a large cost that will only grow with time, based upon annual increases in
salary, benefits, and retirement costs.
The Town has historically benefited greatly fram depending on an all-volunteer service for many
decades. The only financial burden previously born by the Town was associated with training,
materials and equipment, and maintenance (vehicles and buildings); Salaries, and the
associated benefits, were not part of the equation.
A significant takeaway from the change in composition of fire services is the focus on
performance and cost. The use of data, emergency response type, time, frequency and from
which part of town, now become important in conducting cost/benefit analysis by the Town.
Are there adequate responders to address the risks? Does the Town have adequate funding to
provide adequate staffing of fire services?
Not having significant numbers of volunteers to augment the efforts of paid staff creates
ongoing resource allocation decisions for the Director and ultimately the First Selectman. These
staff resource decisions should be based on quality data properly utilized. If possible, it is in the
best interest of the Town to continue to recruit and maintain a corps of volunteer firefighters to
nat only maintain the rich history of the town, but more importantly help manage growth in fire
services costs.
The town is supported by 5 fire companies, described in Table 1, located on the map provided in
Figure 1, and depicted in Figures 2-6.

Fire Date of
Company Fire Company Name Street Address Incorporation
Waterford Fire Engine
1 Company 89 Rape Ferry Road 1923
2 Quaker Hill Fire Department 17 Old Colchester Road 1927
3 Goshen Fire Department 63 Goshen Road 1928
4 Oswegatchie Fire Company 441 Boston Post Road 1930
5 Cohanize Fire Company 53 Dayton Road 1942
Table 1- Fire Company Demographic Data
QUAKER HILL | ees ="
. FIRE \
* cease RAD COMPANY: 4
* ; Essense
% COHANZIE FIRE of
“ COMPANY *
4
OSWEGATCHiE ft. i \
FIRECOMPANY | %, { 4 : H
: .. i
4 WATERFORD 5
: . , FIRE ENGINE |
i . Li COMPANY 4 z
‘ 4 : 5
i %
GOSHEN A ,
FIRE DEPARTMENT ib. .
7 = v4 4
i ae o 7
Figure 1- Map of the Town of Waterford Depicting Locations of Fire Stations and Fire Districts

Figure 4- Oswegatchie Fire Station

Figure 6- Goshen Fire Station
4.0 Demographic Information
The Town of Waterford was incorporated on October 8, 1801. It is a partly rural/partly suburban
town 36.7 sq. miles in size, with 23 miles of coastline and a population of 19,554 +/- and is part
of New London County. Waterford has grawn at a steady rate since the 1970’s, although State
projections completed in 2016 expect Waterford’s population to decline through 2040.
Despite these projections, the population continues to enjoy modest growth, and recent
employment announcements from local businesses (for example Electric Boat) suggest that
area populations including Waterford could increase. The Town’s Director of Planning and
Zoning notes that the population appears to be increasing slightly. Figure 6 demonstrates the
census trend, Table 2 depicts current development underway as of March 2025. Additional

commercial growth is likely with the revitalization of the Crystal Mall and the potential for the
eventual development of the airport property on Crossroads South and a possible data center
on the Dominion property.
Figure 33. Papulation Change by Decade (1870 ~ 2020}
20,000 ;
19,517 19,571
19152
19,000
18,000
17,000
18,000 .
1970 1986 1990 2000 2010 2020
Source: U.S. Decennial Census 1970 ~ 2020
Figure 6-Population Change by Decade
(Town of Waterford, Key Demagraphics and Trends)
Racent Newly Constructed, Approvad & Pending Housing
[Watarford Heights jAparavad 20 i] ‘oo ‘32 ‘Quaker Bil
24cy ES 6 He Oswagatctie
[Kathryn Caurt Estates Constructed 4 a Cewagatchia
[Watarora Weeds fcsnatnicted 2a oe 7 Groat Nock
iy HR Viage [Onder Construction © a Ea 6 Great Neck
Watarfard Central lGndér Construction 76. a cd 2 ‘Great Hack
[Clark Lane Community ndar Constructo 7 6 cu Groat Weck
Fobene Vilage Pending © me 6 6 g Teen Guaker Hay
[source:Tounof Waterloni Panning & Dovelopment Dopartmer, Sept 2024
Table 2-Summary of Current Residential Building Units as of September 2024
The population density is 435 residents per square mile, less than the state average of 648
residents per square mile, but more than New London County, 348 residents per square mile
More resident workers commute out of Town for employment than the number of employees
who travel to Waterford for work.
The number of workers commuting into Town and share of residents working in Town has
decreased since 2010.
Waterford is nestled between Montville to the North, East Lyme to the west, and New London
to the east. The former two are like Waterford demographically, while New London is a small
city with approximately one third more residents (approx. 28,000) than Waterford.
10

5.0 Findings and Discussion
5.1 Emergency Response Types and Frequencies
Data on types and frequencies of responses as well as response times was provided by the
Department of Fire Services to the Fire Services Ad Hoc Committee and was distilled into graphs
to better display pertinent information.
Response types and frequencies are depicted in Figures 7-11.
| Total Responses
i
a
2
o
20 21 23 24 25
Fiscal Year
Number of Responses
Note: Responses for year 2025 have been extrapolated based upon responses through March}
Figure 7- Eight Year Trend of Responses
1

Strucural Fires as a Perecent of Total Responses
45
40
3.5
3.0
25
2.0
15
1.0
0.5
6.0
Percent of Structural Fires
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
Number of Responses
S00
17 18 19 20 2i 23 24 26
Figure 8- Percent of Total Responses that Are Structural Fires
Fiscal Year
Total Number of EMS Responses
19 20 24 23 24 25
Fiscal Yearr
Figure 9- Eight Year Trend of EMS Responses
12

EMERGENCY RESPONSE TYPES, AVERAGE 2017-2025
Fires
2%
Figure 10-Summary Percentage of Structural Fires, EMS, and Other Incident Types
Seven Year (2018-2025) Average Response Time by
Company
12.00
10.00
8.00
6.0
4.0
2.0
0,00
Cohanzie Fire Goshen fire — fordan Fire Odwegtchie Quaker Hilf Fire
Department Department Company Fire Company
Department
Minutes
Q
oS
Oo
Figure 11- Average Response Times by Company

As seen from the data, mast responses are responses to EMS calls throughout town as well as
motor vehicle accidents with and without injuries, structural fires hazardous conditions, service
calls, good intent calls, false alarms, severe weather incidents,
5.2 Capital Plan
An abbreviated capital / facilities plan was provided by the previous Director of Fire Services. A
copy is attached as Appendix A, and is distilled here in Table 2
YEAR
[STATION 24 25. 26 27 28 Totats COMMENTS
Jordan $_ 100,000.00 $_ 65,000.00] $ $5,000.00 $ 220,000.00 [kitchen in 2027
Quaker Hi) $180,000.00 $ 150,000.00 |Bunk Roomfenovations, Bathroom Renovations
Goshen '$ 150,000.00 $_150,000.00 jIncludes items pushed out from 2023 and 2025, Roof replacement 2030
loswegatchie [$80,000.00 $30,000.00 On hale pending new building
[Cohanzie $30,000.00 $ 30,000.00 [Bunk room, bathroom, day room renovations, new windows and doors
$630,000.00
Table 2- Outyear Maintenance Planning of Existing Stations
5.3 Staffing Findings
The Town of Waterford Fire Services are currently staffed full-time as shown in Figure 12.
14

Staffing Plan
202 18
wv#5
x
=
2
@ a
= ae Current full-time staffing, 6 firefighters
- 6
2 3 3
0
23-24 24-25 25-26 26-27 27-28 28-29 29-30
Fiscal Year
comme Annual Additions of FT Firefighters axeanes Running Totals
~~ Figure 12- Current and Projected Staffing =
This is an increase in the previous numbers of firefighters from the previous year. Appendix B
outlines the previous Director of Fire Services’ recommendation for staffing the fire stations in
Waterford over the next 5 years. Asummary of his assessment is provided herein. Figure 12
also graphically depicts the proposed increase. The dip in hiring reflects a pause to assess
needs.
It is important to underscore that staffing levels for the Waterford Fire Department have
increased since the inception of the Ad Hoc Fire Services Committee.
The previous Director of Fire Services has expressed a strong belief that staffing should continue
to grow to meet both the current and future demands facing the community. Increased
construction, population growth, and rising call volumes will require additional response
capabilities to maintain Waterford’s public safety standards.
Key Takeaways from the Director’s January 2025 Staffing Report
e Full-Time Staffing of Three Fire Stations
The Director recommends that three fire stations should be staffed full-time with career
(paid) firefighters:
o Company 1 (Jordan)
o Company 4 (Oswegatchie}
15

o Company 5 (Cohanzie)
Although specific justifications are not explicitly listed, it is presumed that these
companies were selected because they have:
«The largest cali volumes
«Strategic geographic distribution: one station near each east and west
end of Town and one centrally located station providing rapid access
across Waterford.
Part-Time Staffing of Two Fire Stations
The remaining two stations, Quaker Hill and Goshen should be staffed with part-time
paid firefighters to ensure broad coverage while managing costs.
Importance of Maintaining Adequate Staffing
Maintaining sufficient staffing is critical to:
o Protecting personal safety and property.
oe Maintaining a high Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating, which directly affects
residents’ insurance premiums.
Review of Staffing Growth Every Three Years
Staffing levels and the pace of growth should be formally revisited on a three-year cycle
to adapt to changing community needs.
Competitive Salaries
Until 2024, Waterford’s starting firefighter salaries were below the state average.
However, the most recent labor contract addressed this disparity, helping facilitate the
hiring of 3 new_firefighters.
Pursuit of SAFER Grants
The Director recommends aggressively applying for SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire
and Emergency Response) grants to offset hiring and personnel costs.
Projected Staffing Model for FY 2030-2031
The Director’s plan envisions:
o 10 career firefighters on duty always (requiring 30 career firefighters total)
o A24/48 schedule (24 hours on, 48 hours off}
o Ablend of part-time staffing seven days per week
o Full operations from all five fire stations
16

o Deployment of a variety of apparatus tailored to incident needs.
e Standards of Response Coverage (SOC) Analysis
The Department should consider conducting a Standards of Response Coverage (SOC)
analysis to formally evaluate operational efficiency and identify opportunities for
improvement.
In presenting his Staffing Plan, the Director also provides a brief history of the Waterford Fire
Department's staffing evolution. The trend reflects a slow but steady migration toward paid
firefighters, driven by challenges in retaining and recruiting sufficient volunteer personnel.
The Director identifies four critical factors justifying the continued expansion of paid staffing:
1. Nationwide Decline in Volunteer Firefighters
Recruitment and retention challenges mirror a broader national trend.
2. Increased Calls for Service
Higher call volumes place additional strain on the fire response system.
3. Commercial and Residential Development
Development in Waterford is progressing at a pace that threatens to outstrip current
service capabilities.
4. Service Response Times and Their Impact
Variations in response times can have serious consequences for life safety, property
protection, and insurance costs.
Establishing staffing levels of fire stations can be a challenging task. There are no definitive legal
requirements, whether federal or state that dictate the specific number of firefighters each
town or station must have. There are two primary organizations whose standards influence fire
departments throughout the state and nation. These are:
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)- a federal agency under the U. S.
Department of Labor responsible for setting and ensuring safe and healthy working conditions
for employees, through the issuance of enforced standards.
NFPA (National Fire Protection Association- a global not-for-profit organization that develops
and publishes over 300 standards and codes that target the elimination of economic loss, injury,
and death due to fire, electrical or related hazards. Their standards are widely recognized and
commonly adopted but not mandated.
Two primary organizations, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and NFPA
(National Fire Protection Association), publish many standards that significantly influence fire
department operations and fire service deployment. Among these are several overarching
17

standards that impact fire department staffing, either directly or indirectly. The most referenced
include:
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.156 — Fire Brigade Standard
This standard establishes requirements for fire brigades, including organizational
structure, training and education, personnel! requirements, and the use of personal
protective equipment {PPE). It specifically applies to fire brigades performing interior
structural firefighting.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.156 Revision ~ Emergency Response Standard
A proposed revision of the Fire Brigade Standard, this updated Emergency Response
Standard—once approved—will impose a significant number of new requirements.
These will largely focus on expanded training, qualifications, and safety procedures for
fire stations. The revision has completed its public comment period and is pending final
issuance. However, the official effective date remains uncertain as of the publication of
this report.
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 — Respiratory Protection Standard
These standard addresses requirements for respiratory protection in hazardous
environments. Critically, it establishes the “Two-in / Two-out Rule,” which mandates that
two personnel must remain outside a hazardous environment to monitor and assist two
personnel operating inside an IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health)
environment.
NFPA 1710 — Standard for Career Fire Departments
NFPA 1710 sets standards for the organization and deployment of fire suppression
operations, emergency medical operations, and special operations provided by career
fire departments.
NFPA 1720 ~ Standard for Volunteer Fire Departments
NFPA 1720 outlines similar standards tailored for volunteer fire departments, focusing
on deployment expectations based on community demographics.
Neither OSHA nor NFPA directly prescribes exact staffing levels for fire departments. However:
OSHA influences staffing indirectly by establishing mandatory safety standards, including
equipment, working conditions, and training requirements.
NFPA affects staffing through its emphasis on response times and the minimum number
of personnel required based on population density.
For example, NFPA 1720 sets the following staffing guidelines:
18

Rural areas (population density of 500 or fewer people per square mile): A minimum of
six personnel should respond within 14 minutes or less for 80% of incidents.
Suburban areas (population density between 500 and 1,000 people per square mile): A
minimum of 10 personnel should respond within 10 minutes or less for 80% of incidents.
The Town of Waterford contains both Rural and Suburban areas, meaning it must plan
accordingly to meet both standards.
In addition to the regulatory standards and guidelines outlined above, fire department staffing
is determined by a combination of critical factors:
Community Needs: Including call volume, types of emergencies encountered, and
population density.
Budgetary Constraints: Municipal governments operate within limited financial
resources, primarily based on tax revenues.
Risk Assessment: Considering the hazardous nature of buildings, presence of industrial
facilities, building sizes, and related factors.
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ): The individual, office, or organization empowered to
make and enforce regulations affecting fire services (e.g., fire marshal, building official,
or other regulatory authority).
In the Town of Waterfard, the Authority Having Jurisdiction is the Waterford Fire Department.
Staffing Determination Process
The exact determination of appropriate staffing levels is a multi-faceted exercise. It requires
balancing objective data, expert judgment, and available financial resources.
Objective Data:
The importance of data collection, trending, and reporting—as depicted in Figures 6-11
cannot be overstated. This data serves as a key indicator of departmental performance
and represents the only consistently quantifiable, objective factor available for staffing
evaluation.
Subject Matter Expertise:
Local fire service experts, notably the Director of Fire Services and his team of
experienced professionals, play a vital role in assessing staffing needs based on
operational demands and evolving community risks.
Municipal Leadership and Financial Oversight:
The Town’s Chief Executive (First Selectman), along with the Board of Selectmen (BOS),
19

Board of Finance (BOF), and Representative Town Meeting (RTM), are responsible for
reviewing staffing recommendations, balancing financial realities, and ensuring that fire
service funding decisions align with the broader interests of Waterford residents.
5.4 Fleet Management Findings
Waterford’s Fire Services maintains a substantial fleet of emergency vehicles—currently 26 in
total—primarily designed to support fire suppression operations. This fleet includes:
e Fire engines
e Ladder trucks
e Specialized apparatus
« Support vehicles
A detailed inventory and status assessment of the fleet is provided in Table 3 and the Appendix
C.
Pines
AsserD Asta 10.
WSL
W052
W538
W536
wea?
WES
Car 115
car 8s
far 86
New
WBA
We
W384
W326
W393
WS,
Wet
yee38
wad
Waa
Wea
Wea
Wear
Wad.
Wea
ay
W286,
As fire suppression now represents only a small percentage of emergency call responses,
Table 3- Summary of Fleet Maintenance and Capi
1364 g0ad0 |§2568%6.00 $214 90000 sane.eaan Ss
year
Town Modal
Year 2028 2025 2007 2008 2029 Mileage |
2o140s. 2016 30.588,
400535 2068 $34,500.01 40843.
190079 2008 '$3260.000.00 i812
1g102: 2011 $7300.00 54228
antoit’ 2019
201635" 2035 22833
4on3sa, “ois 
39500
tor203. 2013 [$6400.00 117000
101408. 2016 $63,009.99 ss00e:
§ 6800000 2
101235. 2014 16699
00203, 1993 39230
jo1i77, 2012 9133
tonai0, 2007 $78,000.00 55208
400376. 2007 138
218
161321 2024 BRSES,
101538" 2016 32844,
10188” 2018 S105)
19333 2607, 49720,
100256 2005. $226,206.00 42834
2030 16127
700311. 2006 $935,000.00 34ae
100257 2606 8374
101932; 2083 ene.
400216, 2006 5 72,000.00 $8800.
2021 2s0
Howes
2883,
1419
4836
3512
1380
3539.
2295
wo.
Fe
1028.
ed
3287
768,
822
4834
jag
568.
3803.
B28
1075
BB
S-YearTotat Yeorsof Refurbishment
_Repsic Cast | Serves
37,891.00"
8.
5 2883.00
3 432974.00
$4928.00
$ 40760,00
3 -
5 1290.00
S| 2,889.00
$._.. 3903.00
$ 25 946.00
$ 49,062.00
$2778.00
4 28 618.00
S._ 28601.00,
50,574.00.
$6333.00,
14,901.00.
64,482.00
$
$
$.
5
3. 13,930.00
S 860.98
$ $9406.00
S. 28,595.00.
$ 29,603.00
$6232.00
5 27,823.84 Average SVs RepsirCompe Venkfe |
3
46
24
14
15
2
7
42
9
ww
7
a
43
as
i
9
7
28
49
$
19
9
7
19
Reglacemant/
FoineSysten
SRR eRe RE RRR BER oe Be wa
2
$667,765.00 Total S¥r Cast
$ 133,583.00 ‘avarage Cost Per Year
ital Acquisition Costs
Waterford’s current fleet, geared heavily toward traditional firefighting, may warrant strategic
realignment over time to better match the evolving mission